Well, this topic is a little deceiving, and the real thing that I wanted to tackle here is the benefit of journaling or documenting your life.
I think the benefit of hindsight is excellent, it saves you from disaster, and it is what we call experience. Our forecast uses the past trends, our models use existing data, and so it should be with our life as well, I got no reason to believe otherwise. Hindsight has prevented me from doing so many things, and I avoided a great deal of inconvenience. It propelled me do something that I might have regretted in future if I had not gone for it. But how does it helps - I think any action or rather its consequences have a shift in mindset. We might not even remember the activity or the effects - but the mindset remains, and then we do things based on that shifted mindset - get desirable results. It gets reinforced and become a habit. It is similar to reading a book where we might not remember the content of the books. Instead, the frame of mind that is updated reinforced or changed while reading a book. I think it is so powerful because we have all the data and all the conditions laid out in front of us - we just need to analyze it to get into a conclusion. Best time for investment is always the past. Maybe documentation is about preserving some part of that past to learn. It is a way to improve, and your competitor is your past self. And what Sun Zu said that know your competitor well and that is what documentation will help us.
But to get to this hindsight properly we need reliable data, isn’t it? We need to go back and look and into accurately what was happening at that time. We could use our memory for this, but I got reliable reasons from both literature and personal experience that trusting the organic memory is not a good idea. And I think at this point journaling comes into the picture, where we precisely know what the moment signifies. It might be a reason in part why old newspapers are so valuable and stored. All the documents in the world if actively not sought to be destroyed and carelessly not left to be in the mercy of natural forces it often very well preserved and with the advent of the internet it has become highly accessible as well. Now getting into journaling or documenting your life. I am confident that the term ‘journaling’ means a specific part of the documentation. However, I would be using the term documentation here on for a broader context.
A few days ago I found out that the movie “A woman in Berlin” which is based on the daily writings of an anonymous German woman. She had some journalistic training and documented quite precisely what happened to her as the aftermath of WWII - I highly recommend this movie. The similar thing about the “Diary of Anne Frank” and “The Gulag Archipelago” by Anne Frank and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn respectively. None of these people thought (except Solzhenitsyn maybe) that their documentation will have such a profound effect on a cultural level. The writing or maybe recorded multimedia now can transcend time. However, my point here is that the documentation is essential.
I think there could be many kinds of documentations. I am very confident that there are already names of that. However, due to non-acquaintance with these modern terminologies and their definition, I would try to define them myself.
Log type: I see computer logs, especially error logs which are precise. It gives you only enough information that is relevant in an optimized format within the lowest possible memory consumption. But it is essential for debugging. We see so many criminal cases are solved or at least made easy only with the help of a log of let’s say guest list or car parked etc. So maybe it’s a good idea to log our day regularly, just so that we could come back to debug something.
Journal type: With journal type, I mean precisely stating the way things happened - like a journalist - without being biased. However, I seriously doubt that it will be possible. Still, it would be good to have a document explaining things along with the logs.
Emotional type: These are the extension of journal type. One could document their emotional response to a particular situation; this is also something to be recorded as it is.
Opinion type This requires a projection of thought in future where one could make his/her own opinion and write what they think what should be. What is their idea and why they feel this way? It’s kind of meta journaling or maybe an essay type thing. I think this will provide a lot of clarity, especially when the emotions are on a high tide. Writing also provides a chance of reflection and articulation put things in perspective.
Dream documentation: Initially, I was very sceptical of this, but I can now say that dream bear a lot of significance of what is happening in real life. I could easily now connect the links between the things that I dream and the things I read or watch. Often the dreams seem very unrelated, but I can imagine there might be some hidden meaning behind it. I have to read more on that (maybe writings of Freud and Jung would help).
Work/Learning journal - I am making a distinction here with this. I believe it is essential to be able to go back to and reflect on your learning. It should be separate from the log and another journal to accurately see where one person is in his learning ladder. Idea journal: This is self-explanatory. We might never get the same idea again and might lose significant because of this. It’s better to keep the repository.
And now there are other kinds of journals which I found after scrapping web, but I haven’t explored these properly.
Now how to write a journal? - To be honest, I haven’t been able to write a journal or any document consistently for a long time. However, I have been trying for many years. The real problem is maintaining consistency and ease of journaling. Like if I am travelling, it is improbable that I have my daily diary with me. Or I might often skip a few days, that will be omitted from the documentation forever. There has to be a way to document and store your documentation correctly. And trying for the best possible thing might not be a good idea. So just getting started with half baked plan is a much better idea. Maybe grab the nearest piece of paper, notebook or diary and start writing, once it gets better ideas will automatically arrive.
From: https://www.jofelo.com/17-different-types-of-journals-to-keep/
1. Writing Journal If you are an aspiring writer, a writing journal is an excellent idea. You can use it to contain all of your manuscripts and rough drafts. It’s also great because in many cases, writers experience writer’s block. When this happens, it’s still important to write anyway. The way that a writer pushes past writer’s block is through writing whatever comes to their mind first. It’s a discipline. Creative writing prompts help push past recent writing writer’s block. When it’s time to get those words down on paper, a writing journal is a perfect home to hold all of the words that you’ve written. It is especially true if you are a songwriter. You can write down lyrics to potential songs that you could attach melodies and harmonies to in the future.
2. Bullet Journal A bullet journal is perfect for someone who writes a lot of lists. When you write a lot of records, and you don’t have them in one place, it can be frustrating when it’s time to look for them. You can choose to write down bullets filled with potential ideas that you’d like to execute. You can use the bullet journals to write down your grocery list. It’s still great to have all of your records in one place. You can keep a bullet journal on your phone in your notes app as well. Many others prefer to write down their lists instead. One fun option involves using markers to create bullet points. Suppose you love the idea of colour-coding your list. In that case, a bullet journal might be the most visually appealing option for you. It can also be a practical way to help you get through your day.
3. Dream Journal Many people have very vivid dreams. Unfortunately, when it’s time to wake up, they tend to forget what were their dreams. Some people get messages through their dreams, and they take dreams very seriously. Keeping a dream journal is helpful because it can serve as a tool to help you remember what your dreams were. Sometimes, your dreams are sent so that you can analyze them and learn more about yourself. As soon as you wake up, do your best to write down the dreams that you had in a dream journal. Keep the dream journal by your bedside so that you won’t forget.
4. Food Journal A food journal is incredible because many people are dying to try different recipes. However, they don’t have the time or energy to remember all the ingredients and methods when they need them. If you keep a food journal, it’s an excellent way for you to document all the processes that you’d like to try in the future. You can just grab the food journal when you’re on your way to the grocery store. Then, you’ll be able to remember what you want to try, and you’ll be able to expand your cooking repertoire. When you try a delicious dish, you’ll have it documented so that you can pull it up whenever you’re ready to try it again. If you want to get fancy with it, you can even take Polaroid pictures and attach them to each page in the journal. A good food journal is also helpful for those who are tracking their calories because they want to lose weight.
5. Travel Journal If you’re a travel enthusiast and love planning, a travel journal is one of the types of journals that can serve as a fantastic resource for you. Use a travel journal to write down the ideas you have regarding the places you like to travel. You could also use that journal to write down the restaurants you’d like to try and the museums you’d like to visit while you’re in those different places. If you learn about new websites for travelling, you can write them down in the journal. There are also tons of new apps and airlines that come out with new deals and discounts. You can keep all of this information in your travel journal so that when you’re ready to access it, you can.
6. Art Journal An art journal can be used in a myriad of ways. If you are an artist, an art journal is a valuable asset for safekeeping your creative ideas and artwork. It becomes your create book of thoughts and original masterpieces. If you are an art enthusiast, this can be an excellent place for you to write down your experiences with words and clipart hen you visit different museums or try various art forms. Perhaps you’d like to try a clay-making class. After the course, you can write down your experience and your feelings about it. The same goes for an experience at a paint and sip class.
7. Prayer Journal A prayer journal is unique to someone who is profoundly religious and spiritual. It is one of the types of journals where you can write down the deepest desires and prayers of your heart. As they are answered, you can cross them off of your list. You can write down anything in that journal and use it as a source of encouragement when you’re feeling down. Sometimes, you might feel like your prayers aren’t being answered. However, if you look back at a few pages and look at the crossed-out prayers, you’ll realize that you just need to keep the faith and continue praying. If there’s somebody you need to pray for, make sure to write it down in the prayer journal so that you don’t forget.
8. Reading Journal If you are a part of a book club, a reading journal is one of the perfect types of journals to keep. As you read a book, write down your thoughts about different chapters. Write down the events that resonated with you deeply in the book. Write down different quotes that spoke to your soul. When you go to the book club session, you can quickly pull out your reading journal and share your perspective with the group.
9. Gratitude Journal Many celebrities like Oprah keep a gratitude journal. A gratitude journal is strictly for all of the things that you are grateful. When you are thankful, you open up your heart to be able to receive more from life. So, you could decide to write down three things that you’re grateful for that have happened the day before. You can do the gratitude journal practice at night and write down the things that you’re thankful for that happened that day. It is one of the types of journals to keep if you’d like to cultivate a spirit of happiness and constant appreciation.
10. Project Journal If you love DIY projects, it’s a great idea to document the journey. Write down the different plans that you work on or that you would like to work on in the future. It’s one thing to pin them on your Pinterest board. It’s another thing to write down the steps to get it done. Once you finish the project, you can quickly take pictures and post them in your journal. It’s also a good idea to document some of the places that you used to source specific materials. If you found articles online at particular websites, write them down in the journal so that whenever you need those particular items again, you know where to go.
11.Garden Journal A garden journal is one of the different types of journals to keep so that you can remind yourself of the flowers and plants that you would like to put in your garden each season. You can quickly use it to write down different notes when you learn new tips on gardening. A friend might teach you about a specific fruit that grows in a particular soil type. You’d want to write it down so that if you ever desired to grow it, you know what to do. If you’re able to find stores that sell certain seeds that you’re looking for, it’s wise to write this information down so that whenever you’re ready to reaccess it, you can.
12. Pocket Journal A pocket Journal is perfect for anything you need to remember. A pocket journal allows you to remember what you need to take care of. If something resonated with you such as a quote, you can write it down as you hear it. A pocket journal isn’t massive, and it’s one of the different types of journals to keep. Still, it’s easy to carry around whenever you need to access it.
13. Workout Journal A workout journal can be very involved and helpful when you’re in the midst of exercise journey. If you’re looking to lose or gain weight, a workout journal can help you look at the amount of progress you’re making. If you are thinking of working on building your endurance through a running program, document the details like the distance and speed. It’s adorable to look back and see the progress you’re making over some time. If you find that you’re plateauing, this is also an opportunity to look at what you’re doing wrong and switch things up.
14. Pregnancy journal A pregnancy journal can be used for a myriad of reasons. You can use a pregnancy journal to write down your symptoms and how you’re feeling at different times of the day. There are times when your OB/GYN is going to want to know the details of your symptoms and how you’re doing. A pregnancy journal will help you to remember to write everything down. Many women experience was mainly known as “pregnancy brain.” If you write everything down, you won’t get derailed by the forgetfulness that comes along with a pregnancy.
15. Junk Journal There will be times when you’re not feeling the greatest, and your mood is feeling pretty low. There will be times when you have stressful seasons in your life. A junk journal serves as a way to get the negative energy out of your brain and on paper. You can use this as a source of release. It’s not okay to hold on to any negative tensions and emotions that you might be feeling. If you can take time to write out those feelings and get them out of you, you’re able to process life a little better. It can serve as a cathartic release.
16. Idea Journal An idea journal can serve as an opportunity for you to have a brain dump. Whether it’s at the end of a long day or the beginning of a new day, you can always keep a journal by your bed and do a brain dump. A brain dump allows you to process everything and you’re able to put these emotions on paper. If you have great ideas and they’re flowing, you can quickly get them down on paper so that you won’t forget later.
17. Poetry Journal If you’re a lover of poetry, consider keeping a beautiful journal that you can use to write down poetry as it comes to you. It’s an excellent idea to keep a thesaurus nearby as well. As you get inspiration, you can also use a thesaurus as a resource if you are ever looking for words that rhyme with others. You never know. The poetry that you write today could be a beautiful song tomorrow.